Jaguar S-type Reliability by Year

Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

676 NHTSA complaints (1999–2008).Complaint rate: 1202.8 per 1,000 vehicles.

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Should I buy a Jaguar S-type?

Quick answer from 676 NHTSA complaints · 1999–2008

Jaguar S-type reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is automatic transmission. Pick the right year and this S-type can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.

Years to avoid
Most common Jaguar S-type problem: Automatic Transmission49 complaints (6.1% crash-involvement rate).

Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.

Why these years are worse

The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:

  • automatic transmission49 complaints (6.1% involved a crash)
  • electrical faults43 complaints (9.3% involved a crash)
  • unintended acceleration39 complaints (41.0% involved a crash)
  • fuel system32 complaints (3.1% involved a crash)
  • brakes28 complaints (10.7% involved a crash)
Severity Score
28523.1
Complaints
676
Crash Rate
11.7%
Fire Rate
1.8%
Injuries
43
Fatalities
4

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.

Bottom line: Avoid the 2000–2001 Jaguar S-type. The 2007–2008 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Automatic Transmission.

Avoid These Years

2000–2001
~142/yr complaints · 20 crashes
2003
~151/yr complaints · 19 crashes
2005
~115/yr complaints · 20 crashes

Average

2002
~30/yr complaints
2004
~39/yr complaints
2006
~33/yr complaints

Better Years

2007–2008
~12/yr complaints
1999
~2/yr complaints
Looking at a specific Jaguar S-type?

A model's reputation is just the start.

Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).

Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA complaint count per model year

Common Jaguar S-type Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.

Show full table
ComponentComplaintsCrash %
Automatic Transmission496.1%
Electrical Faults439.3%
Unintended Acceleration3941.0%
Fuel System323.1%
Brakes2810.7%
Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint283.6%
Gasoline Fuel System248.3%
Transmission / Drivetrain240.0%
Suspension Failures230.0%
Parking-Brake Issues224.5%
Data Sources & Methodology

Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (676 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.

Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.

Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.

Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).

See also: Jaguar S-typeaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Jaguar S-type?

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